The Longfellow Bar

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There’s no silverware at Longfellow, a sleek cocktail bar above Alden & Harlow in Harvard Square. But that’s not because there’s no food, it’s because everything is designed to be eaten with your hands. That’s a tough break for germaphobes, but as long as you’ve got some Purell handy, you’re going to enjoy a lot of things that the term “bar food” doesn’t really do justice for. The deviled eggs are topped with ikura, potato chips, and chives. The pigs in a blanket get black truffle and honey. And the waffle fries come with salsa verde. The cocktails are pretty good, too. There’s even a selection of low-alcohol drinks, so if your goal is to make your way through the entire menu, you at least have a small chance of being able to do it before passing out.

There’s no silverware at Longfellow, a cocktail bar above Alden & Harlow, as the food is supposed to be reminiscent of bar food you eat with your fingers. But we can’t think of any other bars that serve deviled eggs with ikura, or pigs in a blanket with black truffle and honey. Aside from the fact that you eat with your hands, Longfellow is civilized through-and-through, and it’d be wise to make a reservation - especially on weekends.

One of the things that makes Boston the smartest city in America is that we named one of our most prominent bridges after a lyric poet. We’re not sure what it says about us that we’re now also naming cocktail bars after that lyric poet’s significantly lesser-known architect nephew, but we’ll check out this spot in Harvard Square and try to figure it out.